The Downside of Believing in an Afterlife

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The psychology of religion is just a very problematic field traditionally because you seem to have two sides. One that's saying like, well, see how stupid it is, and then the other side saying like, see all the, all the benefits of belief. And they both seem like they're secretly arguing for either the existence of God or, or the denying existence of God. It seems weird to even care about that agenda when you think, if I prove to you that there are positive health benefits and well-being, like, to belief, like, would that ever convince you? No, you would just say, well, that sucks that I'm gonna have to be slightly more miserable and

Does life have meaning if there is no God? Why should I be a good person if there's no reward or punishment waiting for me in the afterlife? Why does religion seem to make people happier and healthier? Dave and Tamler heroically try to answer these questions without being stoned. Other topics include Dave's paralyzing fear of death, bad times on mopeds, and the pros and cons of naming your daughter Chlamydia. They almost get through the episode without having to censor something--but not quite.

Links

Woody Allen's "Love and Death"

Paul Bloom- Does Religion Make You Nice? [Slate.com]

Follow-up reading on religion and health (for the slightly academically inclined)- Powell, L. H., Shahabi, L., & Thoresen, C. E. (2003). Religion and spirituality: Linkages to physical health. American Psychologist, 58, 36.

Pascal's Wager [wikipedia.org]

Albert Camus [Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy]

The Problem of Evil. [Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy]

"Yes but subjectivity is objective."

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